It is important to remember that although many people may, or may not, be sensitive to any given wood, the only experience that truly counts is your own, so use reported side effects as guidance but not as a substitute for cautious and safe practices.
Appropriate protective equipment is therefore always recommended when working with this, or any other, wood, exotic or domestic, unless you have worked with the species before and are certain you are not sensitive to it.
Complete information about health hazards associated with a wide variety of exotic hardwoods is available from The Wood Database. Additional information about how to best use a dust collection system and personal protective equipment, such as respirators, can also be found through this excellent and comprehensive resource.
Fortunately, I experienced no negative side effects when working with River Birch.
My Personal Experiences:
I just finished a River Birch bowl today. It measures 9″ x 4″. River Birch is fairly plain wood although it does have some speckling and a streak in the bottom. But still, pretty plain. The only reason I bought this wood was because I lived on a street named River Birch Drive, so it seemed appropriate to make something from the wood to keep in the house. Sadly, I never turned the wood while I lived there but I will ship this piece to our old neighbors who still live on the street.
River Birch Bowl Interior
River Birch is fairly soft so it cuts easily but it does NOT cut cleanly. It was almost a 30 minute torture session burning through lots of sand paper to pound it into submission. Frankly, I don’t like putting that much work into a wood that doesn’t move me much to begin with. In half the time I could have a really stunning piece of Claro Walnut or Cherry. Sadly, I was very enthusiastic about the idea when I bought the blank and I have three more just like this one. It’ll be awhile before I sign up the experience.
I finish almost everything with Shellawax and regular readers know, but this time I sanded the Shellawax off. Shellawax, on certain woods like maples and apparently birches, goes on splotchy and it is impossible to even out the appearance. Instead, I used Odie’s Clear Wax and I am pleased with the result.
River Birch Bowl Side View
All cuts were made using the Easy Wood Tool system on my Robust American Beauty lathe. Forward chucking was in a Nova Chuck, while reverse chucking was done using a Nova Chuck with Cole Jaws. Sanding was with Gold and Green Wave sanding discs from Packard Woodworks. Final finish is as described above.
As always, I wish all my readers a great experience in whatever your wood working interests happen to be and to those who like working with lathes especially, do a good turn today!